Having always loved being around children, Yarraville couple Vince Attard and Kym Phillips knew they were destined to become carers.
The couple have been foster carers for 22 years, including the last six with their current foster care provider OzChild.
With Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia marking Foster Care Week from September 14 to 20, the couple decided to share their own foster care journey to help inspire others to take on the role too.
“I was born to be a carer, by my early teens my sisters had children and I loved it,” said Kym.
“I love seeing them grow and move forward in their lives.“
More than two decades of foster care experience has taught the couple that caring for a child means participating in all aspects of their lives and supporting them to be the best version of themselves.
“We don’t look at it as a short-term thing it’s the end goal that’s important, completing school, further education, setting them up for a successful future,” said Vince.
As a same-sex couple, the duo said caring for children and young people from diverse backgrounds was one of the most rewarding aspects of the role.
“We feel children are very adaptive to our lifestyle, it does have its challenges at times, but we work through them together,” said Kym.
While most children under their care have returned to be with their families, the couple is currently caring for a 22 year old who has been with them since he was 15.
Kym said after a rough start, he’s now thriving at school and in life.
“When he first came, I wasn’t sure he would be here for long, he had significant trauma of the passing of a parent and he was behind in school, when I gave him the house rules, he thought it was too strict but within the first three months, he got his first A at school and was so excited as he was now doing homework and had structure.”
For more information, visit: https://www.ozchild.org.au/
